The Other Half
by Trinity005
Summary: Silence speaks a million words. EO
1. Elliot

**"The Other Half"**

**Elliot's POV**

Here we are now, at a bar, celebrating the latest case we closed. When Munch first came to me and said, "let's go drink", it seemed like a good idea. Now I'm sitting here, facing my co-workers, and thinking, "What the hell are we celebrating? We arrested the bastard, that's true. But that adorable 5-year-old girl will still have to live with the fact that she was brutally raped by her own father." So much to celebrate.

I look at you and you're talking happily to Munch and Fin. You're laughing at a joke. I can see you're probably celebrating the fact that the girl's little sister will be safe from their father. Every once in a while you gaze at me. You're concerned that I'm too quiet lately. You offer me a timid smile and your eyes search mine for answers, but I don't have any. All I have is questions. Questions you'd willing to hear at any time, because you're my best friend. You're my best friend, and yet I don't have the guts to tell you that my marriage is over.

This bar that we came to is some sort of a couple's bar. Our table is the only one with more than two people. You don't seem to have even noticed it as you laugh with Munch and Fin at how much the defense attorney made a fool of himself in court today. The romantic music, though, is hammering in my head.

_Come away with me in the night  
Come away with me  
And I will write you a song _

_Come away with me on a bus  
Come away where they can't tempt us  
With their lies_

There's nothing more depressing than reflecting about the lyrics of a romantic song when you're all alone. Maybe that's why you've just complained that the music is too loud. Because you're all alone too.

No, Liv. The music isn't too loud. It's our hearts that are screaming for love. I look at you and you're beautiful, even after such a stressful day of work. But that isn't news to me. You've always been breathtaking beautiful, which never seemed to have gotten in the way of our friendship. I used to feel like I could talk to you about anything. But you have your own demons haunting you, and I can't be another one of them.

I watch a young couple dancing. Things are so easier when you're young. You believe that the world has a good future. You believe that love can last forever. However, even if I could turn back time, I don't think I would've done anything different. My marriage is over, and I don't see a way to change this. Oh, you're going to be angry when you find out. You'll be hurt at my lack of trust. And, when that moment comes and I'm feeling my heart beating right up my throat, I won't say it. I won't confess that I'm not sure if my marriage is over because I fell in love with you, or if I fell in love with you because my marriage was over. Either way, you're there, and it's not fair to drop this bomb at you because you never meant for it to happen.

I keep watching the young couple. They're barely moving in the dance floor. They're probably not even hearing the music. I am, though...

_I want to walk with you  
__On a cloudy day  
__In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high  
__So won't you try to come_

I reach for my glass of scotch. The lights reflect against my wedding ring and the shining hurts my eyes. I want to tell you that I'm not feeling well and that I'm calling it a night. I know you'd get up immediately, not only because you're my ride tonight, but because you care about me. While we were in the car, you'd be throwing side glances at me, and asking what's wrong. Then I'd tell you what's wrong.

No, I wouldn't. I'd give a shrug and say I'm just tired.

Once I heard that when God created the world, he picked up all the souls and divided them in two. Then, he let them go. The souls traveled through the whole world, and each one settled down somewhere. Suddenly, they realized their other half was missing. And from that day on, each of those souls lived searching their other half, and they wouldn't find true happiness until they were only one again.

Was my other half in front of me all these time? It pains me to realize that she wasn't beside me for the last 20 years.

It feels like this song has been playing forever. Maybe someone has cast a spell over me, and now I'm condemned to live this moment forever. I'm pretty sure about the spell part, at least. The young couple – they moved. She raised her head from his chest. I see parks flying around as their eyes meet.

Or was it when I turned your way and our eyes met?

_Come away with me and we'll kiss  
__On a mountaintop  
__Come away with me  
__And I'll never stop loving you_

I'm guessing you felt the same thing I did, because you quickly looked down. Munch and Fin were now engaged in some political discussion, and you're not in the mood for one. You take your glass to your mouth, but you're just pretending to drink. You need something to do.

Silence can speak a million words.

You cross your arms over the table. "You're awfully quiet tonight." One of us had to say something. "Is everything ok?" I can see you're starting to reach for my hand, and I don't know if it's something in my eyes, but you suddenly stop. I want to scream that nothing is ok, and you're the only one that can me it ok for me right now, but obviously I don't do that. Lately, I've been losing my ability to speak quite often when I'm near you. You don't wait much for my answer. "You want to go home?" You ask, always the good friend. You don't know that you're talking me to an empty house. Empty not only for the lack of people, but mainly for the lack of love. "Yeah, I want to go home." I finally say it. And I mean it more than you can understand right now.

_And I want to wake up with the rain  
__Falling on a tin roof  
__While I'm safe there in your arms  
__So all I ask is for you  
__To come away with me in the night  
__Come away with me_

I toss a couple of twenties at the table and we leave. It's a quiet walk to your car. When we arrive, I'm waiting by the passenger's door for you to get in and open it for me. However, you're standing right in front of me. Your hand squeezes my arm and I feel assured. I was wrong, you understand. You're also searching for your other half.

* * *

A/N: 1. The song used in this fic is "Come Away With Me", by Norah Jones. This is my first SVU fic so I have no idea if this is any good - reviews will be much appreciated. 

Olivia's POV is coming soon...


	2. Olivia

**"The Other Half"**

**Olivia's POV**

Another day of work is over. Today we closed our latest case – a 5 year-old-girl raped by her own father, in her own bedroom. I'm worn-out, but still I accept Munch's offer to go have a drink. Elliot and Fin were going too, so it seemed like a nice opportunity to talk, and maybe put this case behind us. What an illusion. We never put the cases behind us. The new cases don't let us think about the old cases all the time, but they're still there, somewhere in the back of our minds. In the back of _my_ mind, at least.

No, you can't put them behind, either. I glance occasionally at you and your eyes are immersed in bitterness. You can't stop thinking about that little girl, I know. And while I'm partially happy that her little sister will never go through the same horror, I can't forget her either. I pretend to laugh at a joke Fin just told us, but the truth is I didn't even hear what he said. I'm worried about you. There's something more in your eyes. It's not only about that little girl. I glance at you one more time, and I smile. I'm trying to make you see that I'm here for you. I hope you're noticing that.

However, you're quite quizzical today and I can't seem to get through to you. We all have days like these, and I should respect that. I go back to Munch and Fin. We talk about that lame Defense Attorney and his humiliation in court today. You occasionally nod at our conversation, but your eyes are wandering throughout the bar. You seem to be finding all those young couple's pretty interesting to observe. Some of them are dancing to a romantic song, which seems to be bothering you.

_Come away with me in the night  
__Come away with me  
__And I will write you a song_

_Come away with me on a bus  
__Come away where they can't tempt us  
__With their lies_

The lyrics are sweet and tender. Perfect for the ones in love. It's too loud, though. Can't they see some of us are simply trying to get together with our friends? Some of us don't need to be reminded that they're alone.

When I turn my gaze at you, I see that you're watching me. But you're so lost you don't even realize I caught you; and I'm not even sure whether you're actually looking at me, or if your eyes just happened to be directed at me when you drifted into whatever dream you're having. I'm really starting to worry. Talk to me, El. You're driving me insane.

You've got something bottled up. For the last couple of weeks, you've been looking like you could explode at any minute. And most of the times it's not that loud rage, it's this quiet agony that you're going through now. And you've been shutting me down ever since. Did I do something wrong? If I did, please let me make it right, because I can't live another day like this. I need to have the Elliot I had before. I need to have at least the Elliot I had before.

Your eyes are fixed in a young couple at the dance floor. I can see a trace of envy in your eyes, and sense your agony growing. The music keeps playing, the chant from the angel of mercy...

_I want to walk with you  
__On a cloudy day  
__In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high  
__So won't you try to come_

You reach for your glass of scotch, but stop midway to your mouth. If not even drinking seems appealing to you, maybe I should take some action. You're clearly not well and you need someone to point that out, even though you surely know it. Come on, El, I'll take you home. Somehow I can't manage to get the words out of my mouth. There's a part of me that knows that you're closed for me today. Yet I'm desperate to know what's going on, because, in case you haven't noticed, your pain is my pain.

I think about your wife and your kids. My heart hammers fiercely in my chest.

Through my whole life, I tried to tell myself I didn't need any of these things. A husband? Kids? Nothing against them, but no, thanks. Now, when the clock of life is ticking louder, I envy you. Tonight you're going home to your family, and I'm going home to no one. You've found your better half, while I… well, I'm not even sure there's another half for me. Back in college I had this friend who said each soul had their mate. I used to laugh at her. I still do, but now the laugh is bitter and poignant.

If there's no other half, why does it feel like I'm missing something?

Damn, what is it about that couple that you find so interesting? I wonder if they remind you of a moment you shared with your wife. But that should be a happy memory, and you don't look happy at all. An almost imperceptible smile has formed across your face. It looks like the last page of a kids' fairytale. The couple dancing... gazing one at the other. The only thing missing are the colorful sparks of love coming out of them.

But the sparks are there, aren't they? Only they're coming out of our eyes.

_Come away with me and we'll kiss  
__On a mountaintop  
__Come away with me  
__And I'll never stop loving you_

I feel like my heart is speaking through my eyes, so I look down, in a desperate attempt to run away. In the distance, I hear some bits and pieces of Fin and Munch's heated political discussion. I'm too out of it to fake participating in a political discussion, so, in need of something to do, I reach for my glass. I take it to my mouth but I don't drink. My throat is shut, this moment is suffocating me.

I have all the words, but right now, they're not necessary.

I cross my arms over the table and lean in your direction. "You're awfully quiet tonight." I say, unable to wait any longer for you to say something. I'm cautious, though. "Is everything ok?" Instinctively, I start reaching for your hand, but this otherwise natural thing between us seems dangerous right now. I can see in your eyes that nothing is ok, and I feel the need to say that it'll be ok. I can help you go through whatever it is. I'd give my life if I need to. However, no words come out of my mouth and you don't answer my question either. This place is eating me alive and I need to get out of here immediately. "You want to go home?" I ask. I'm your ride tonight, so my question doesn't sound strange. There were times this question would never cross my mind as strange, but those times are gone. You don't need to know that. You finally answer, "Yeah, I want to go home." Your voice comes out hopeless. It seems like there are a million places you'd rather go. Same for me.

_And I want to wake up with the rain  
__Falling on a tin roof  
__While I'm safe there in your arms  
__So all I ask is for you  
__To come away with me in the night  
__Come away with me_

You toss a couple of twenties on the table and we leave. We walk quietly to my car. You're waiting by the passenger door. I start moving in the direction of the driver's door, but suddenly I find myself standing right in front of you. This time I'm not afraid to reach out my hand to you. I squeeze your arm in an attempt to replace the thousands of words I want to say. Your eyes are telling me probably more than you want me to know. You're also missing your other half.

* * *

The End

* * *

A/N: Thanks for all the nice reviews for chapter 1! I'm tempted to write more for this lovely fandom. ;) 

And a special thanks to Jill who pointed out some grammatical errors I made. :)


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